Bag opener for packaging machines



Filed Aug. 6. 1949 Patented Nov. 4, 1952 BAG OPENER FOR PACKAGING MACHINES Louis M. Haugen, Chicago, 111., assignor to Paul L. Karstrom 00., a corporation of Illinois Application August 6, 1949, Serial No. 108,972

1 Claim. 1

In the use of volumetric package filling machines for bags, it is necessary to have a has presented in condition and in position to receive each measured quantity of material. Usually the bags are folded fiat and must be first opened and then placed in receiving position. Many conditions make it necessary to have one operator open the bags and pass them to another, who places them in position to be filled.

The principal object of this invention is to provide means for fully opening each bag, tube, or the like as it is presented to the discharge spout to receive a measured quantity of material. Generally speaking, this is accomplished by equipping the spout with a nozzle associated with th devices to deliver a jet of air or gas to blow the bag fully open in advance of delivery of the measured material.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a volumetric bag filling machine equipped with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation; and

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the valve mechanism in plan.

The base ll! of the machine is equipped with a column ll supporting a hopper I2 delivering to measuring devices l3 rotating underneath the hopper and over a fixed table I4 supported by a standard or shaft IS on a bearing collar l6, and equipped with a discharge spout I! to deliver the measured quantities of material to bags illustrated at 18, and held in position by the hand l9 of the operator.

The spout I7 is equipped with a nozzle supported by suitable fittings 2| and connected by a flexible pipe 22 with a normally closed valve 23, which is supplied by a shop line 24, compressor, or other source of air or gas, through a filter 25 and a shut-off valve 26 and piping 21.

The measuring devices are driven through the course of their circuit by the standard or shaft 15, which, in turn, is driven through a suitable gearing in the casing 28 including a modified Geneva movement, which allows one of the measuring devices to pass under the hopper while receiving the proper amount of material and the opposite measuring device to have sufficient time to discharge its contents into the discharge spout El for delivery to the bag 18.

By opening the control valve 23 at an appropriate time, a blast of air or gas may be delivered through the nozzle 20 in advance of the discharge of measured material, so that the bag or tube is fully opened and ready to receive down to the extended bottom the full contents to be packaged. This is accomplished in the present embodiment by equipping the shaft 15 with a cam 29 adjustably fastened thereto by a set screw 30 and adapted as the shaft rotates to swing a cam lever 3| against a valve stem 32, and thus open the valve to release the air or gas at the particular time required for fully opening the bag or tube [8. The set-forward point, so to speak, of the opening of the valve will vary under difierent conditions when dealing with different quantities of material to be packaged, the size and condition of the bags or tubes, and variations in the discharge spout.

As the detail of the construction and arrangement of the measuring devices may be taken from known forms or designs for special purposes, specific description is omitted, but an example may be found in the copending application Serial Number 108,973, filed concurrently herewith.

I claim:

A bag filling machine comprising a stationary horizontal table having a discharge spout, a measuring unit arranged over said table and comprising a plurality of measuring devices rotatable successively to a position abov said spout to discharge material therethrough, a vertical shaft carrying said measuring unit, a pipe for delivering fluid to said spout, a valve in said pipe, said valve having a stem and being biased to closed position, a lever engaging said stem, and a polygonal cam having sides corresponding in number to said measuring devices and engaging said lever whereby, upon rotation of said shaft, said valve will be opened to discharge fiuid through said pipe to open a bag beneath said spout prior to the discharge of material through said spout.

LOUIS M. HAUGEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 277,133 Hill May 8, 1883 1,589,800 Frank June 22, 1932 1,892,148 Hohl Dec. 27, 1932 2,144,569 Frazier Jan. 17, 1939 2,174,420 Kantor Sept. 26, 1939 2,333,571 Hohl et a1 Nov. 2, 1943 2,540,259 Haugen Feb. 6, 1951 

